Job overview
Fixed‑term 12 months Bart’s Health – Royal London Hospital (0.5) & Newham Hospital (0.5)
We’re offering an exciting opportunity for a Highly Specialist Neonatal SLT to join our expanding neonatal MDT across two neonatal units. This 12‑month maternity‑cover post is ideal for an SLT passionate about infant feeding, dysphagia, early communication, neurodevelopment, Family Integrated Care, and surgical pathways.
You’ll work within a supportive neonatal workforce and receive ongoing mentoring and leadership from the Clinical Lead Neonatal and Highly specialist SLTs at the Royal London Hospital, alongside close collaboration with the wider MDT on both sites
If you’re committed to integrated working, developmental care, and Baby Friendly principles, we’d love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Role Summary
The post holder will work as an autonomous Neonatal Speech and Language Therapist within the Acute Children’s Therapies and Play Service across Barts Neonatal units. They will provide highly specialist neonatal expertise in Neonatal developmental feeding, early communication, developmental care, and neonatal dysphagia.
Embedded within the neonatal unit at RLH level 3 centre and Newham University Hospital LNU the post holder will work collaboratively with families and the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT)—including medical and nursing staff, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Respiratory colleagues, Infant Feeding Leads, and other specialist services—to deliver Universal, Targeted, and Specialist interventions. They will contribute actively to the Baby Friendly Initiative and Family Integrated Care, supporting high‑quality, family‑centred neonatal practice.
The post holder will receive regular peer support from the Barts Health Neonatal SLT team, the wider neonatal network, and clinical supervision from the Clinical Neonatal Lead for Speech and Language Therapy. While they will hold independent responsibility for managing the neonatal SLT caseload, they will have access to second opinions and joint working opportunities with the Neonatal Clinical Lead SLT and other specialist MDT colleagues (e.g., Paeds SLT OT, Physiotherapy, Respiratory, ENT) to ensure safe, evidence‑based care.
Working for our organisation
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.
The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.
Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.
We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. ·Degree/Equivalent in Speech and Language Therapy
2. ·HCPC Registration
3. ·Evidence of continuing professional development in the area
4. ·Training/short course in neonatal/ infant feeding and dysphagia
5. · Proven Neonatal interest and CPD, training
6. ·HEE modules in neonatal care
7. ·Breast feeding knowledge and skills in at risk infants
8. ·Knowledge of developmental care, FICARE and BFI frameworks
9. ·Understanding of neonatal care and network
Desirable criteria
10. ·Member RCSLT
11. ·Member of Neonatal special clinical interest groups
12. ·Supervision training
13. ·FINE 1
14. ·NBO
15. ·Lactation training
16. ·BFI training
Experience
Essential criteria
17. ·Post-qualification experience working within infant feeding, communication and infant dysphagia (including infant feeding)
18. ·Experience of working within a paediactic acute multidisciplinary team
19. ·Experience of working within an acute hospital setting
Desirable criteria
20. ·Experience of working within Neonatal MDT
21. ·Embedded ways of working
22. ·Running parent groups, developmental care packages
23. ·MDT ward rounds
24. ·Family integrated care, developmental care and BFI
Skills
Essential criteria
25. ·The ability to prioritize, organize and delegate USING Neonatal frameworks, prioritization tools and pathways
26. ·Excellent interpersonal skills – including observation, listening and empathy skills.
27. ·Assessment and intervention of early feeding, early communication and dysphagia in ICU
28. ·Coaching parents in early feeding and early interaction for infants
29. ·Teaching early communication and feeding for parents and staff
30. ·Skills for problem solving
31. ·The ability to keep accurate and legible patient notes
32. ·To have competent IT skills
33. ·Good auditory discrimination skills and.
Desirable criteria
34. ·To have participated in audit or research
35. ·To have worked independently in managing an neonatal caseload with distance supervision
**Visa Sponsorship Information**
Recent changes to UK immigration policy on the Health and Care Visa and Skilled Worker Visa could mean that this role is not eligible for sponsorship or that you may not meet the eligibility criteria.
Sponsorship can only be offered if this post and any individual offered employment meet all the Home Office’s requirements under the UK Skilled Worker visa scheme.
If you are applying from outside the UK or will require sponsorship, please mention this clearly in your application.
To be eligible for sponsorship, the following conditions must be met:
36. Eligible role: The position must be on the UK Skilled Worker visa list. You can check your eligibility here: -.
37. Salary threshold: The role must meet the minimum salary set by the Home Office. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.
38. Skill level: The role must meet the minimum skill requirement of RQF Level 6 or above (graduate level).
39. English language: Applicants must demonstrate English proficiency at CEFR level B2 or higher.
40. Other criteria: Applicants must meet all other criteria as set out by the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI)